Beer of the Noonday Sun: Nantahala Brewing Co.

Entrance to NBC's dark, comfortable taproom.

Visiting a new brewery should inspire caution. Not all are created equal and depending on the location, I have been stuck with mediocre brew (names redacted).

Even in hills outside Great Smoky Mountain National Park,  a small brewery can thrive. On a map of the Asheville breweries I grabbed at the East Nashville Beer Festival, I noticed the Nantahala Brewing Company adjacent to the gorge of the same name. I feared a tourist trap brewery with a lineup of bland or over-hopped beers. The day after our roundtrip on Mt. LeConte's Alum Cave Bluffs Trail, Wade and I ventured to Bryson City to sample.

The NBC proved me wrong instantly. The magic touch of Asheville has sprinkled upon Bryson City. They can even boast one of the best brewery logos I’ve seen in years (look to your right).

The taproom opened just a year ago, but felt lived in and comfortable. Set across the street from Bryson City’s railroad tracks, the taproom was expansive, with a stage, cornhole boards on the floor and a bar large enough that we felt alone despite the presence of 20 other patrons. The brewery did not serve food, but catered perfectly to the camping ground; four brand-new gas grills sat upon their patio for patron use.

The diverse beer lineup skewed away from some obvious styles and included several IPAs, and English mild and then leaned toward Belgian handles. For 2012, Nantahala Brewing began Trail Magic, a series of limited-edition, extreme beer bottle releases. They started with a bourbon-barrel imperial stout, a relatively common winter seasonal.

Fortunately, the day before our visit, the brewery released the enticing sophomore Trail Magic beer. We started with nine-ounce pours of Trail Magic Lemongrass Imperial IPA. Spiced with lemongrass, lemon zest and Japanese Sorachi Ace hops, Nantahala Brewing veered away from the easy path with this bold IPA. The mix of Sorachi Ace and lemongrass turned this imperial into a unique experience, a powerful burnt orange ale with a big hop complement.

However, Trail Magic shares many characteristics with hoppier saisons – lots of dry lemon with hints of tangerine, orange and even kumquat. This prototype might not be destined for mass production, but deserves to be sought out. NBC bottled a limited amount of the Lemongrass Imperial IPA, and I brought home an extra – I’m not ready to end my dance with this sublime beer.

The ways in which the ultra-dry Japanese hops work with the lemongrass practically redefines what IPA can do. This triumph won’t be tasted by many, but deserves mass approval. Brewery staff tapped a five-gallon cask of Lemongrass Imperial IPA while we drank our samples.

Like Duvel, Sloeber and other Belgian golden ales, Nantahala Brewing upheld the tradition of devilish names for well-hopped golden ales with Devil’s Courthouse Golden Ale. It crackled with cream and spices. The nose is rich with esters, and the bouquet has traces of mango, cantaloupe, coriander and pepper. An orange undercurrent lurks throughout

We finished with Dirty Girl Blonde Ale, a session golden ale. Light crisp and with more carbonation, Dirty Girl suits a hot summer day. Dry and effervescent, it would please most palates. Later, At the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the gorge, I ended my new growler prohibition and bought 64 ounces of Dirty Girl Blonde (I needed that amazing logo to spruce up my growler collection).

Every small-town brewer deserves a brewery as innovative as NBC. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and eager to talk about the brewery. In a brewery taproom, the personal touch goes a long way. Unfortunately, they don’t distribute outside North Carolina. So visitors like me must spread the word of their brewing aptitude. Bryson City might be 50 miles from Beer City U.S.A (Asheville), but Bryson City's inventive brewery should not be missed.

Take a few minutes and examine their wares.